WAYNE, NJ--Castrol is working with Ogilvy PR on the launch of a new sponsorship assignment that aims to tap into the American passion for auto racing.

The lubricants brand handed the brief to Ogilvy earlier this month, with the project going live today. Castrol, which is a major sponsor of auto racing, is partnering with Autosport.com to rank drivers across the 14 series that take place in the US.

The assignment follows a similar effort that Ogilvy handled for Castrol last year, focusing on Major League Soccer. They represent the latest inroads the agency is making on a brand whose creative duties have been handled for many years by Ogilvy & Mather, and are expected to be followed by further projects.

At Ogilvy, the programmes are being led by EVP Jennifer Risi’s media influence team, and include traditional media, social media, content creation and video. “The number one thing is that auto racing fans are some of the most loyal in the world,” said Risi. “And we want to tap into that to create awareness of the Castrol brand, and make Castrol much more analogous with these races.”

The racing project, which runs until the end of the year, signal Castrol’s attempt to diversify its sponsorship interests. The BP-owned brand has been involved with Formula One for many years, and also counts a longstanding association with US racing, sponsoring drivers and racetracks.

The ranking claims to use “proprietary technology” across such series as IndyCar, Nascar and ALMS to help objective determine the “best driver in American racing.”

“Castrol has a long-standing relationship with auto racing throughout the world and we are extremely excited to bring this technology to American racing,” said Carolyn Eckert, director of promotions, sponsorship and creative services. “The Castrol EDGE Rankings build on our more than 100 years of technology leadership. Castrol is focused on creating the best products and innovative experiences for our consumers.”

Castrol also produces a similar international ranking. Other Castrol sports sponsorships include cricket and the NFL.